Cinematical

(Because we promised we'd repost this on Friday the 13th -- one of our classics from Mr. Eric D. Snider)

A few years ago, I decided a good way to spend my time would be to watch all 10 Friday the 13th movies and keep track of the statistics: how many kills, how many heroines taking showers, how many people falling down while trying to run away, etc. I was fond of the Scream series' deconstruction of the slasher genre, and it occurred to me that the Friday the 13th films -- most of which I had not seen at that point -- were probably the source of some of the oldest, ripest clichés.

• Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who comes home to Brooklyn and falls for Vinessa Shaw, while his parents want him to marry Gwyneth Paltrow. It's mostly raves at Rotten Tomatoes, including a glowing review from Cinematical's Kim Voynar (who saw it at Cannes last year), calling it "thoughtful, evocative, and more true to real human existence than most of the dreck that comes out of Hollywood studios."

• Gomorra, an unglamorous look at modern-day organized crime in Italy, won the top prize at Cannes and has hauled in several wins at other festivals, too. It was Italy's submission for this year's foreign language category at the Oscars, but the silly-heads at the Academy failed to nominate it. (It was nominated for a Golden Globe, but honestly, what wasn't?) Cinematical's James Rocchi contributes to the film's 87% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes by comparing it to TV's The Wire and calling it "a sweeping, stirring film that has the shoot-and-loot tension of the best crime cinema but also has the scope and serious intent of great drama."

• The Caller, a corporate mystery thriller starring Frank Langella and Elliott Gould. Both actors are earning praise, but nine of the ten reviews at Rotten Tomatoes are scathing. It's only playing at one theater in Manhattan and will show up on DVD in a few weeks anyway. But, just for the record, here it is on the list.